Eyeglass holder for apparel

ABSTRACT

A shirt having a loop located on the front panel thereof for temporarily supporting eyeglasses by gravity. The loop is flexible, may be affixed to the shirt at two spaced apart points, and may be horizontally oriented when the shirt is worn with the neck opening facing upwardly. The loop may be permanently affixed such as by stitching or alternatively may be removably affixed such as by comprising spring loaded clips each of which releasably affixes one end of the loop to the shirt. The loop is preferably located about four inches below the neck opening and is preferably centered with respect to right and left sides of the shirt. Where the neck opening of the shirt includes a placket, the loop may overlie the placket.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a support for supporting eyeglasses on apparel such as shirts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People must from time to time remove and store eyeglasses. Glasses may for example be ordinary corrective glasses which are being removed for diverse reasons, may be sunglasses which obstruct vision at low light levels, or may be reading glasses which are ineffective when viewing things at a distance. Removal may be temporary, so that it becomes necessary to have the glasses readily at hand for when the time comes to replace them.

People typically place removed glasses on an environmental surface, or rotate them such that the lenses are supported on the top of the head of the user, or put them in a pocket. Each of these solutions to the problem of what to do with removed glasses has its advantages and disadvantages. Significant disadvantages include inconvenience of retrieving the glasses, forgetting where they have been placed, or subsequent loss such as might occur with glasses not secured when suspended from a breast pocket or stowed on the head.

There remains a need for a convenient, practical way to store glasses that have been temporarily removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the above need by providing anchorage of removed glasses on apparel. Apparatus which accomplishes this is advantageously arranged so as not to stretch or deform the apparel, to locate the anchorage at a convenient location, and to securely engage eyeglasses by insertion of the arms. To this end, a loop is affixed to the apparel. The loop may be permanently fixed to the apparel, or alternatively, may comprise a detachable component. The anchorage is preferably located at any point below the collar and along the placket at the neck.

A significant advantage of the invention is to provide an immediately usable, convenient place to suspend eyeglasses by an arm thereof when temporarily removing the eyeglasses, and when there is an intent to replace the eyeglasses on the head shortly after removal.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a shirt adapted to provide anchorage for eyeglasses, according to at least one aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front detail view of eyeglasses suspended from an anchorage element which is a component of the shirt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an alternative to the anchorage element of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a shirt 10 adapted to provide anchorage for eyeglasses 12 (see FIG. 2), according to at least one aspect of the invention. The shirt 10 may be of any type, including those provided with buttons such as the buttons 14, which may extend the full height of the shirt 10, or as depicted, only along a placket 16. The shirt 10 may be of any type without buttons. Blouses, so called “tee” shirts, long and short sleeved shirts, sleeveless shirts, and other garments for the upper torso, such as sweaters, sweatshirts, vests, jackets, and others will be understood to be encompassed under the term “shirt”, which is employed in representative capacity herein.

The shirt 10 may have a torso encircling component 18 having an interior surface 20, an exterior surface 22, and front panel 24 and a rear panel 26. The torso encircling component 18 defines therein a neck opening 28, a torso opening 30, a right arm opening 32, and a left arm opening 34. The right arm opening 32 may include a right sleeve 36. The left arm opening 34 may include a left sleeve 38. The neck opening 28 may include a collar 40 as well as the placket 16. Obviously, different types or styles of shirts may omit some of the above features, or alternatively have the features in forms different from the form shown and described herein.

The component of the shirt 10 which provides anchorage for the eyeglasses 12 may be described as a closed loop 42, which is disposed on the exterior surface 22 of the front panel 24 of the torso encircling component 18. The closed loop 42 may comprise a flexible strip of material which is affixed to the front panel 24 such that the closed loop 42 may present a bottomless receptacle for receiving an arm 44 of the eyeglasses 12 when the eyeglasses 12 are installed in engagement with the closed loop 42 (this is shown in FIG. 2). The closed loop 42 thus is serviceable to serve as a suspension support for suspending the eyeglasses 12 so installed by gravity when the shirt 10 is in an upright orientation with the neck opening 28 facing upwardly and the torso opening 30 facing downwardly.

According to one aspect of the invention, the closed loop 42 may be affixed to the front panel 24 in any location readily accessible by hand for installing the arm of the eyeglasses 12 therethrough, as shown in FIG. 2. More advantageously, the closed loop 42 may be affixed to the front panel 24 at a location below the neck opening 28.

While it would be possible to anchor the closed loop 42 at one point to the front panel 24, this could result in the closed loop 42 being hard to spread open sufficiently so as to facilitate insertion of the arm 44 therethrough. Therefore, the closed loop 42 is preferably formed from a flexible strip of material having a first end 46 and a second end 48 each affixed to the front panel 24 (FIG. 1) at two spaced apart points. The strip of material may be of any suitable flexible fabric, for example, which may be the same fabric as that from which the torso encircling component 18 or any other part of the shirt 10 is fabricated, or alternatively, may be another fabric. Of course, other constituent materials such as leather, plastic, braided metal, and others may be used if desired. The strip of material may be between one and five inches long when drawn straight, and more preferably, between two and three inches long when drawn straight. As seen in FIG. 2, the strip of material forming the closed loop 42 may be between one half and one inch wide along its length. Width is indicated as an arrow 54 in FIG. 2; length is indicated by an arrow 56.

When affixed as shown in FIG. 1, the closed loop 42, which of course includes both the strip of material shown in FIG. 2 and also an expanse of the front panel 24 of the shirt 10, will generally assume the same dimensions when the shirt 10 is worn under ordinary conditions.

Attachment of the strip of material at spaced apart points maintains the opening formed between the strip of material and the front panel 24 open such that it is easy to insert the arm 44 through this opening when suspending the eyeglasses 12 from the closed loop 42 for temporary support on the shirt 10. Attachment of the strip of material may be by first and second stitches 50, 52, although other forms of attachment are possible.

It should be understood that the strip of material which cooperates with the front panel 24 to form the completed closed loop 42 terminates at the points of attachment such as at the first end 46 and second end 48, just beyond respective stitches 50 and 52, such that the closed loop 42 is an entity unto itself and is not a continuation or part of other structure associated with the shirt 10 for another purpose.

When installed on the front panel 24 of the shirt 10 as seen in FIG. 1, the closed loop 42 extends generally horizontally between from the point at which the first end 46 is affixed to the front panel 24 to the point at which the second end 48 is affixed to the front panel 24 when the shirt 10 is in an upright orientation with the neck opening 28 facing upwardly and the torso opening 30 facing downwardly.

It should be noted at this point that orientational terms such as upwardly and downwardly refer to the subject drawing as viewed by an observer. The drawing figures depict their subject matter in orientations of normal use, which could obviously change with changes in body posture and position. Therefore, orientational terms must be understood to provide semantic basis for purposes of description, and do not limit the invention or its component parts in any particular way.

The closed loop 42 may be located between two and six inches below the neck opening 28 and may be centered on the shirt 10 with respect to right and left sides of the shirt 10. More particularly, the closed loop 42 may be located about four inches below the neck opening 28.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the placket 16 of the shirt 10 extends downwardly from the neck opening 28. The closed loop 42 overlies the placket 16 and is attached to the front panel 24 of the shirt 10 at the right side of the placket 16 and at the left side of the placket 16.

Thus far, the invention has been described such that the closed loop 42 is permanently attached to the shirt 10. It would be possible to make part of the closed loop of the invention removably attachable to the torso encircling component 18. This is shown in FIG. 3, wherein a closed loop (the component integral with the shirt 10 is omitted from the view of FIG. 3) may comprise a strip 58 including a first clip 60 located at one end of the strip 58 and a second clip 62 located at the second end of the strip 58. The first clip 60 and the second clip 62 are movable between an opened condition (not shown) and a closed condition (as shown). In the opened condition, the upper and lower jaws 64, 66 are spread apart as they pivot about an axle 68. The first and second clips 60, 62 may each be similar to one another, and of the type informally known as alligator jaw clips for example, wherein each clip 60 or 62 has a spring member (not visible) urging the respective first clip 60 and second clip 62 into the closed condition.

Of course, a removably attachable closed loop may utilize fasteners other than clips. For example, a removably attachable closed loop may utilize snaps, buttons, hook and loop fastener material, hook and eye, and other types of fasteners, although these may require that complementing components be affixed to the front panel 24 of the shirt 10.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible 

1. A shirt adapted to provide anchorage for eyeglasses, comprising: a shirt having a torso encircling component having an interior surface, an exterior surface, and front panel and a rear panel, the torso encircling component defining therein a neck opening, a torso opening, a right arm opening, and a left arm opening; and a closed loop disposed on the exterior surface of the front panel of the torso encircling component, wherein the loop comprises a flexible strip of material which is affixed to the front panel such that the loop may present a bottomless receptacle for receiving the arm of the eyeglasses when the eyeglasses are installed in engagement with the closed loop, and is serviceable to serve as a suspension support for suspending eyeglasses so installed by gravity when the shirt is in an upright orientation with the neck opening facing upwardly and the torso opening facing downwardly, wherein the closed loop is an entity unto itself and is not a continuation or part of other structure associated with the shirt for a purpose other than anchorage for eyeglasses.
 2. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is located below the neck opening.
 3. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the flexible strip of material has a first end and a second end each affixed to the front panel at two spaced apart points.
 4. The shirt of claim 3, wherein the closed loop is stitched to the front panel at each of the first end and the second end.
 5. The shirt of claim 3, wherein the closed loop extends horizontally between from the point at which the first end is affixed to the front panel to the point at which the second end is affixed to the front panel when the shirt is in an upright orientation with the neck opening facing upwardly and the torso opening facing downwardly.
 6. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is located between two and six inches below the neck opening and is centered on the shirt with respect to right and left sides of the shirt.
 7. The shirt of claim 6, wherein the closed loop is located about four inches below the neck opening.
 8. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is between one and five inches long when drawn straight.
 9. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is between two and three inches long when drawn straight.
 10. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the shirt has a placket extending downwardly from the neck opening, and the closed loop overlies the placket and is attached to the shirt at the right side of the placket and at the left side of the placket.
 11. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is fabricated from the same type of constituent fabric as the torso encircling component.
 12. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is removably attachable to the torso encircling component.
 13. The shirt of claim 12, wherein the closed loop comprises a first clip located at the first end thereof and a second clip located at the second end thereof, and wherein the first clip and the second clip are movable between an opened condition and a closed condition, and the first clip and the second clip each have a spring member urging the respective first clip and second clip into the closed condition.
 14. The shirt of claim 1, wherein the closed loop is between one half and one inch wide along its length. 